Guest Spring 2012 – Vincent Lai

Tocco: Meet The Brains

Have you seen the interactive shopping directories in the malls? Have you ever wondered who created this amazing new user interface? Meet the brains behind this new innovation. They are none other than the team at Tocco Studios, led by Vincent Lai. “Tocco” means touch in Italian, and as the name implies, Tocco Studios is all about involving one’s senses and taking users’ interaction to a higher level.

Founded in 2008, Tocco Studios is now the leading authority on the design and development of surface computing-based applications in Singapore. Presently, Tocco Studios has set its sights on the Middle East for expansion. Among its list of illustrious clients, BankMuscat, the leading financial services provider in the Sultanate of Oman, stands out the most. Using the “multi-touchscreen” technology as their user platform, Tocco Studios is currently tasked to provide Banking Solutions 2.0 for BankMuscat.

The Serial Innovators

Beyond the interactive platforms for banking services and directories in entertainment centres, Tocco Studios’ expertise in multi-touch technology extends to a variety of other applications as well. These innovations developed by Vincent and his team have generated much interest among the corporate and educational sectors. They include a mobile platform which allows students around the globe to share their experiences as well as an interactive system that introduces corporations’ products while capturing their analytics at the same time.

What makes Tocco Studios stands out from the crowd is its ability to redesign standard interactive systems by merging highly efficient business solutions and user friendliness together into one system. Despite their focus on simplicity and user-friendliness, Tocco Studios ensures that there is no compromise in the efficiency of its products. This gives the company an edge over its competitors.

Road to Stardom

Previously, Vincent was an undergraduate from the School of Information System (SIS) at the Singapore Management University. His inspiring journey as an entrepreneur started during his stint as an intern at Standard Chartered Bank in his second year. Despite his demanding workload and the pressures from setting up Tocco Studios, Vincent still managed to maintain an impressive balance between his studies (Dean’s Lister for 2 consecutive years) and his co-curricular activities (President of SMU Open Source Software Society). He is indeed a role model for all budding entrepreneurs.

In our first meeting with him, Vincent has shown that he is approachable, humble and extremely passionate about his work. His words, “I enjoy my life right now. I don’t feel like I am working. I get up every day doing the things that I love”, embodies his philosophy succinctly. Vincent is a perfect example of how it is possible to marry one’s career together with the pursuit of an interest. But of course, success is not without challenges and sacrifices, of which Vincent will share more in his talk.